


I'll Be at the Door

by harryswhale



Category: Harry Styles - Fandom
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-13 10:44:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11758182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harryswhale/pseuds/harryswhale
Summary: Tom goes to Harry's album launch party.





	I'll Be at the Door

Twelve hours is a long time in a plane. Barry’s been asleep for the past few hours, head braced on a pillow against the wall and a soft snore coming out of his mouth. Tom leans his head back against the headrest and closes his eyes again, hoping for sleep to finally come. There’s some new romcom playing and he’s struck with the memory of wiping grease off Harry’s face and telling him he should have gone for a romcom. He curls his fingers around the arm of the chair as he fights the smile on his lips.

He sleeps in fits until finally a flight attendant shakes him awake and asks him to fasten his seatbelt. Barry groans softly beside him, rubbing at his weary eyes. He grabs his water bottle and drains it with a satisfied noise. “Made it, huh?”

Tom leans over him to look out the window. LAX is a sprawling beast beneath them, dotted with runways and buildings. He responds, “Looks like it. You know, I’ve never actually been here.”

Barry nods. “I was a kid last time I was here. Don’t remember too much. We’ll have to get him to show us around a little.”

“Definitely”, Tom says. He leans back in his seat as the plane dips and starts to descend. He’s never been a fan of the queasiness of it and he wrinkles his nose at the feeling.

They wait for the go ahead to get off the plane and grab their bags. Tom’s legs feel weak when he stands and walks down the aisle. He can feel the heat getting to him already, shirt feeling too tight on his chest. He pulls out his phone as they follow the signs to the taxi stand and shoots off a text to the contact simply labelled “H”.

_Here._

***

He feels out of place standing at the foot of the house. It’s geometrical and at least three stories, surrounded by towering bushes on either side that throw shadows onto the white walls. Barry grins and runs up the steps, pulling out his phone to plug in the door code they’d been sent. He eagerly pushes the door open and steps inside. The door has almost swung shut by the time Tom catches up. Barry’s dropped his bag and is spinning around with wide eyes. He lets out a low whistle, “What a place, mate.”

It’s beautiful and open and the windows are huge. The natural light floods in and brightens the place. There’s a living room that flows into the pristine kitchen and what looks like a porch with a table and chairs outside. Tom drops his bag too, making his way over to the coffee table with a big orange post it note.

_Hello! Sorry again I can’t be there to greet you, but please make yourself feel welcome. You can put your things in the blue and orange rooms on the top floor down the hallway. I’ll be home around 5pm. Feel free to explore. There’s food in the kitchen too! – H._

Tom smiles and rubs the _H_ lightly with his thumb. He’s always surprised by how messy his writing is, given what a neat person he is. He hasn’t seen him in months and his chest aches suddenly with yearning.

When he looks up, he catches a glimpse of the back of Barry’s head moving down the porch steps outside. He follows and pushes open the glass door to find a big pool with chairs surrounding it. Barry’s already taken his shoes and socks off and is standing at the top of the pool steps with a huge grin on his face. Tom snorts and walks down the porch steps.

“I have to get myself a place like this!” Barry shouts. “Imagine living here all the time. And it’s so _warm._ ”

“I’m not a big heat person, but I could get used to it.”

He lets out a noise of appreciation. “Still can’t believe he’s letting us stay with him. Coulda easily grabbed a hotel.”

Tom shrugs. Harry had refused to let them get a hotel when they confirmed they were coming, insisting he didn’t want to make them worry about a rental car. He’d invited the whole cast and Tom and Barry were the only one of the younger ones able to make it. Mark, Kenneth, and Chris were also supposed to be there tonight. Some of the others were going to try and make it, as well.

Tom’s not sure how to put into words the little fluttering in his stomach the thought of staying with Harry for the weekend gives him. He says, “I think that’s just how he is”, instead. “I’m gonna go put my bag upstairs.”

He takes his time going through the house and up the staircase. It fits Harry. Open and bright and inviting, with a coziness to it. He smiles at the art on the wall, abstract and strange and somehow perfect for Harry. The photos make him smile too. There’s pictures of his family, friends, the band, all lovingly framed and hung on walls and resting on tables. He wonders which of them Harry took himself.

His phone buzzes in his pocket. It’s from Harry, _Did you make it to the house alright?_ It buzzes again. _I’ll be home around 5, I’ll grab takeout on the way. What do you want?_

_Yes! Code worked fine._ He sends a second, _Surprise me._ He hesitates for a moment, and sends, _And Barry._

_I’ll get my favorites!_ _Excited to see you._

Tom gulps down the sudden dryness in his throat and pockets his phone. He makes his way to the blue room on the top floor and puts his bag down.

***

Barry’s in the water and Tom’s lain out on a deck chair when they hear a cheerful, “Hey!”

Harry’s jogging down the stairs with take-out bags in his hands and a huge grin on his face. He’s dressed in skinny black jeans and a white tee shirt. His hair’s grown out a little since Tom’s last seen him, and he likes the way it curls around his face.

Harry leaves the bags on a table and jogs over to where Tom’s stood up. “Get here,” he mumbles and pulls him into a full body hug. “You look good. I like the red hair.”

Barry scoffs from the water, “What about me?”

Harry grins. “You look…wet.”

Barry throws his head back and laughs. “Yeah, yeah.”

“How was the flight?” Harry asks.

Tom shrugs. “Stuffy. I’m not a huge fan of giant flying tin cans, but it was worth it.”

“Yeah?” Harry grins.

Tom just smiles at him and gestures to the bags. “What did you get?”

Harry shuffles over and rips them open. “Indian. Everyone likes a curry, right? It’s this nice place near the record office, popped over after the meeting.”

Barry lets out a whoop from where he’s pulling himself out of the pool. “Eatin’ good tonight. When’s the thing later again?”

Tom snorts. “The _thing_ is his album release, idiot. It’s at 9.”

Harry taps his arm lightly with a grin on his face. “Tom: 1. Barry: 0.”

“I knew that!” Barry defends. “I brought a nice outfit and everything.”

“I was just gonna wear sweatpants.” Tom raises an eyebrow at Harry.

Harry sighs, “Tom: 1. Barry: 1.”

***

Tom sighs in the mirror, pulling at his collar. He knows he’s being ridiculous with the four discarded outfits already. He tells himself he just wants to make a good impression on Harry’s friends and make connections in Los Angeles. There’s a knot of nerves in his stomach telling him differently.

There’s a knock at the door. Tom swings it open, expecting to see Barry. His throat closes up at the sight of Harry. Tom swears he’s glowing, hair curling gently around his face and skin clear and soft-looking. “Hi,” Harry says.

“Hi,” Tom greets him back. He steps back to let him into the room.

Harry shuts the door behind him and leans against the wall. “I just wanted to make sure you weren’t actually wearing sweatpants,” he says with a smile.

Tom glances down at his clothes. He’s wearing black jeans and a dark green short sleeve button down. “Oh, I haven’t changed yet,” he teases.

Harry raises an eyebrow and looks meaningfully at the clothes scattered across the bed and on the floor. Heat rises to Tom’s cheeks. “Ok, so I might have changed. A little. A couple times. I just. I’ve never been to an album launch party, I guess.”

Harry steps forward. He’s wearing pale pink trousers and a sheer black button down. His eyes fix on Tom’s and he reaches forward. Tom’s breath catches in his throat as Harry’s hands come to his throat, unbuttoning the top three buttons. A smile tugs at his lips and he says, “Perfect”.

Tom is frozen. He can’t pull his eyes away from Harry’s, mesmerized by the depths of them. They’re closer than he realized; Harry’s body is almost pressed against his. Harry says softly, “Missed you.”

“Me too,” Tom whispers back. “And I’m really excited to hear the album.”

Harry leans in ever so slightly closer. “I’m actually really scared. For everyone to hear it.”

“It’s amazing. I haven’t heard it but I know it’s amazing.”

Harry smiles softly down at him. “Well, you let me know what you think later tonight.”

“Dunno, might be tired after all this. Might just go to bed,” Tom teases.

“You wound me,” Harry laughs under his breath.

He looks like he’s about to say something else when Barry shouts across the hall, “Hey! When are we leaving again?”

They pull back from each other suddenly, both of their eyes wide. Harry squeezes his arm before turning and shouting back “15 minutes!”

Harry gives him another smile before ducking out the door. Tom plops down on the bed and takes a deep breath in. He thinks, _Tom: 1. Barry: 2._

***

The launch is at some Los Angeles club. Tom and Barry get out of the car first, letting the paparazzi snap photos of them. Tom tries to give them his best smile. He’s unused to the attention, never had the flashes aimed at him before.

The inside of the club is beautiful. They’ve put up some kind of walling that’s the soft pink of the album with the flowers from the shoot detailed on them. There’s fairy lights all along the top and pink candles on the tables, along with the tracklist for the album. The place is already packed, everyone dressed in nightclub attire and looking drop dead gorgeous.

Cheers rise up and they turn to see Harry walk in. He waves at the room, a bright grin on his face. Tom can’t help but think of the difference between that public grin and the softer one he gives in private. People swarm him immediately, all offering congratulations and various praises.

Barry nudges him. “Let’s get drinks and try to find the cast.”

Tom follows him through the crowd to the bar. The waitress grabs them the drinks and they skim the perimeter. Barry lets out an excited noise and beelines to a corner, where they find Mark and Kenneth stood around a table with Chris and Emma. Tom is surprised to see Jack too. Jack gives him a grin as he pulls him into a hug. “Shooting got pushed back tomorrow and I was able to come in. It’s good to see you guys. The hair is great, Tom.”

They greet the rest of the cast and exchange how everything is going. They’ve been talking for about fifteen minutes when someone taps Tom on the shoulder. He turns and finds Harry with a wide grin on his face and a drink in his hand.

“Sparing us a minute from your adoring fans?” Tom teases.

Harry cocks his head with a smile. “Sparing all of the minutes for my favorite cast.”

He pushes his way into the circle and gives everyone a big hug. Tom’s pretty sure he looks like an idiot beaming at him, but he can’t bear to tug his eyes away. He sticks around for a while and grabs another round with them. Harry stays stuck to Tom’s side and brushes against him.

Eventually, Harry has to go say hi to everyone else, but he promises to come back later. Before he goes, he whispers in Tom’s ear, “I’m expecting a detailed review of each track.”

Tom whispers back, “Oh, I’m going to be grading each one. Taking notes and everything.”

An hour or so passes before one of Harry’s friends that Tom recognizes as Nick Grimshaw grabs a microphone as the music gets turned down. “Hi everyone!” He greets. “I’m sure you all know who he is, but I’m here to introduce my good friend, Mr. Harry Styles!”

He shoves the microphone into Harry’s hand. Harry waves again and says, “Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for coming out tonight. It’s lovely to see you all here tonight, and I’m very happy to be sharing this moment with you all. The album is out tomorrow and I’m very excited. I’m very nervous for you all to hear it. I feel like I’m introducing my child to you all and I just hope you like it. I hope you all don’t decide to leave after hearing it, but if you do, good riddance,” he jokes. “Thank you all again for coming out again. I hope you like it.”

Harry hands the microphone back to Nick, who says, “Ok, the album is playing in approximately 3…2…1!”

The Dunkirk group continue to talk amongst themselves as the album starts playing. Barry grabs another round for everyone.

But Tom feels frozen again, the music washing over him. He feels breathless, floating in space and twisting and turning and falling. He’s never heard anything quite like it before. It twists into his heart and curls around it like a cat, tugging at every heartstring he has. Every feeling becomes his feeling, every note strikes him deep, and every lyric grips him.

He knows he’s being spacey, barely making conversation with the cast. But all he can focus on is the transition of the songs, how they weave together and play off each other. He feels it all strike him in the chest like knives.

He doesn’t understand how anyone could every make Harry feel that lonely, how anyone could ever leave him, how anyone could ever look at that face and just walk away. It’s breaking Tom’s heart to think of him like that, curled up outside a door that’s never going to open or waking up alone when someone was supposed to be there. He wants to take him away and tell him he never has to feel like that again.

He finishes his fourth drink as the last notes of the album die out. He’s speechless, unable to describe what just happened. He pulls away, whispering to Barry that he’s going to the bathroom. He’s been wandering around looking for it when Harry swerves out of the crowd in front of him. “Need a drink?”

Tom just blinks up at him for a moment before responding. He’s trying to reconcile the music with the man in front of him. “Yes.”

Harry pulls him over to the bar and leans against it after ordering two drinks. “So…”

Tom gulps and rests a hand on his arm. “I honestly don’t know what to say.” Harry frowns at him, and he rushes to say, “It was incredible. Just, so fucking good. I… it was amazing, H, really. I want to listen to it over and over.”

Harry gives him that soft smile. “That’s…that’s good.”

Tom stares at him, taking in the nervous eyes and the tenseness of his shoulders. He presses his lips together. He knows it’s the alcohol pushing his tongue to form the words, but he can’t seem to stop them. “I don’t mean to overstep. But…you know you don’t have to be alone, right? You don’t… just because some people were bad to you doesn’t mean that you’re meant to be alone. There’s someone out there for you. Someone that’s going to want to be with you so bad they can’t breathe without you. You deserve that. You deserve someone that wants you for everything you are.”

Harry freezes, movements completely stilled. The bartender sets the drinks down and shoots them both a look, but Tom barely notices. He looks down at the bar. “I’m sorry, that was weird. I’m just gonna—“

“No,” Harry says, stopping him with a hand on his arm. “Thank you. That was… that was really nice.” He takes a deep breath and glances away before looking back. He lowers his voice. “It just feels like I’m always being left. Why am I always getting left behind?”

Tom steps forward and grabs his arm. “No, H. You don’t have to be left alone anymore.”

Harry’s eyes sear into his before he hands him his drink with Tom’s favorite smile. “Do you want to dance with me?”

Tom gives him a funny look before noticing the dancefloor that’s picked up. He takes a sip of his drink and nods, gesturing at Harry to lead the way. When they get there, Harry leads him over to a little group including Nick. “Tom, this is Nick, Alexa, Mitch, Jeff, and Glenne.”

They all greet each other just as another song picks up. Harry perks up as he recognizes Go Your Own Way and starts to shout-sing the song. Tom laughs and shakes his head at him. It just makes Harry exaggerate his movements, spinning in circles and throwing his arms around. “C’mon! You’re the only one here that can actually dance!”

Tom throws his head back in laughter but joins in the dance party. Harry’s friends are a fun bunch, not worried about looking stupid and just dancing and letting the drinks make them sloppy-happy. The song changes to Let’s Stay Together and Harry croons the lyrics to Tom. He grabs his hands and spins him like a ballerina, dipping him dramatically.

Tom’s pretty sure he’s halfway in love already.

Harry keeps him close and he dances around the floor, always tugging him behind. He spins over to the Dunkirk group for a bit, whirls over to James Corden and Ben Winston, dances with the boys from the band at one point. The groups mix and intermingle.

At some point, Nick grabs a bottle of champagne and sprays the party, causing groans and laughter. Tom gets hit with the brunt of it and he’s left soaked with his hair plastered to his forehead. Barry, Jack, and Harry laugh hysterically at him. Barry pulls out his phone and immediately uploads a photo to Instagram.

Harry tries to wipe some of the champagne of Tom’s face, only succeeding in spreading it around and not actually wiping it off. “ _Harry,”_ he protests as he tries to play with his wet hair, making it stick up wildly.

“What?” he asks, making his eyes big and innocent. “I’m just trying to help.”

It’s well into the morning when Harry finally calls it quits. He gathers Barry and Tom and they stumble out of the club, laughing in the face of the flashes. Harry sits up front with the driver, making drunken conversation and fiddling with the radio dials. Barry heads to bed immediately when they get home, already bemoaning tomorrow’s headache. 

Everything is quiet now. There’s no clouds in the sky, so the moonlight floods the room. It hits the side of Harry’s face and lights it up. Tom is absolutely positive that he’s the most beautiful person has ever seen in his life. Harry moves across the kitchen to open the fridge. He pulls out a bottle of wine and turns around with a grin. “Want to go for a swim?”

By the pool, Harry sets his phone and the opened bottle on the ledge and pulls his shirt off. Tom’s mouth feels dry as the moonlight hits his chest and stomach, casting shadows on the hard line and making his tattoos stand out starkly. Harry asks, “You going to swim in clothes?”

Tom feels heat rising to his cheeks away, and he gives Harry an exasperated look before pulling off his shirt. He can feel Harry’s gaze on him. He unbuttons his jeans and pulls them down, and then peels his socks off. He can’t make himself look at him.

He glances up to find Harry pulling his own trousers off and tossing them aside. Tom says, “I better wash that champagne off.”

Harry smiles. “What? I like your hair like that.”

Tom shakes his head at him before running and jumping in the deep end. He lets himself sink under the water, feeling it cool against his skin. Harry is watching him when he surfaces. “Are you going to stand there and stare or get in here?” Tom asks.

Harry laughs and takes a running leap, making a cannonball before hitting the water. Tom flicks water at him when he surfaces. “You got me wet!”

“You were already wet!”

Tom just grins at him and lets himself swim closer. “Can I hear it again?”

“Hear what?”

“Your album.”

Harry glances away before looking back. “You want to hear it again?”

“You’re deaf now?” he teases.

Harry flicks water at him and swims over to the ledge of the pool. Tom follows him. He takes a drink of the wine as Harry fiddles with his phone for a second. A sense of calm hits him when the opening chords to Meet Me in the Hallway start, and he tips his head back and closes his eyes. He rests like that for a moment as the music washes over them.

When he tips his head back down, Harry is just staring at him with soft eyes. “What’re you looking at, H?”

Harry comes a little closer. Tom can feel his heart beating in his chest. “I like the red hair.”

Tom cocks his head to the side. There’s champagne bubbles in his stomach. “I like _you_.”

Harry’s right in front of him now. His eyes are shining in the moonlight. “I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

“You don’t have to be,” Tom says. He’s not sure what fuels it: the soft begging of the song, the way the night makes Harry look ethereal, or the way his body feels like it’s floating. Maybe it’s all three. But he leans forward and kisses Harry.

He kisses him like he’s never going to kiss him again. He strokes his cheek gently with his thumb, running the other hand through his wet curls. Harry grips his waists and squeezes tight. He pulls him in close and kisses him deeper than he’s ever been kissed before.

Tom isn’t just floating now – he’s soaring. He’s not sure he’s going to come down ever.

They finally pull away, breathless and enchanted. Harry presses his forehead to Tom’s and catches his breath. Tom lets his hand fall to his jaw. He feels like he’s just coming back to his body now. The beat of Woman is washing across the water. He lets out a soft laugh. “Going to make me your woman?

Harry laughs, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth. “Shut up.”

“Make me.”

Harry raises an eyebrow at him and brings his hand back to Tom’s waist. He leans in again, nuzzling down Tom’s neck and leaving bites across it. “Demanding,” he whispers.

Tom pulls away when the beat fades out. “I want to stay like this forever, but we should probably get to bed. I don’t… I don’t want to go too far too soon. And I might be a little drunk.”

Harry huffs out a laugh and nods. “Will you sleep with me tonight? Just sleep.”

Tom presses a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Let’s go.”

He follows him inside and up the stairs, leaving their clothes by the pool. Tom slips into his room to change into a dry pair of boxers and brushes his teeth before knocking at Harry’s door. Harry’s eyes are shining when he lets him in.

They get into bed. Tom kisses him goodnight before rolling onto his side, Harry’s front pressed to his back.

“You’ll be here in the morning?” Harry asks.

“I’ll be here.”

 


End file.
